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The other day we introduced you to the ARC Beta, which is a Chrome project that enables users to run Android apps within Chrome. If that is too limiting for you though and you would like to run Android on some Windows 7 or Windows 8 hardware you have sitting around, a new option is available for you. American Megatrends Incorporated has released AMIDuOS, which will create an Android environment on your Windows PC that you can quickly switch to without dual-booting to run your favorite Android apps.

AMIDuOS creates a 100% native Android environment on a Windows PC and according to the developers, can run just about all Android applications. To help users get started, AMIDuOS includes the Amazon Appstore, but users can install additional markets with the AMIDuOS package installer.

AMIDuOS takes advantage of Windows OpenGL drivers, even when a user is running Android, to enable fast frame rates and support for graphics-intensive applications like games. Most of the time AMIDuOS runs in a native x86-mode, but it will switch over to ARM emulation as needed.

One thing users will discover is that AMIDuOS is able to recognize a full array of sensors and peripheral hardware, including ambient light sensors, gyrometer, compass and orientation. Depending on what kind of hardware one is using, this could effectively create a full Android tablet experience.

AMIDuOS supports both tablet and desktop modes for users so they can take advantage of hardware like keyboards. AMIDuOS also supports file sharing between Windows and Android, making it easy to switch between the operating systems to access pictures, video and music.

If you are interested in giving AMIDuOS a try, hit the source link below to grab the installer and get going. If you decide you like it after the trial period, AMIDuOS costs $9.99. Currently it is running Android 4.2.2 but an upgrade to Android Lollipop is planned.

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Sling TV continues to be the cord cutters dream. They announced that DishWorld, the live streaming multi-language TV service, is now Sling International and it provides nearly 200 channels in 18 languages at $15 per month.

Sling TV customers can add Sling International to their monthly plan and will be able to watch the new programming through the same apps they use for Sling TV. This includes Amazon Fire TV, Fire TV Stick, current generation Roku players, Android and iOS devices, Xbox One, Macs, and PCs. New customers will be eligible for one month free.

If you happen to be a current DishWorld customer, you will be prompted at log in to upgrade to the new Sling International app.

Programming in eighteen languages available today across all Sling TV supported devices, with monthly subscriptions starting at $15

Transition from DishWorld to Sling International brand includes the launch of three new language groups and an updated user interface, available today to all Sling TV customers

Customers can watch Sling TV and Sling International content together in the same app on Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, current-generation Roku players and Roku TV models, Android and iOS devices, Xbox One, and Mac and PC

April 03, 2015 10:56 AM Eastern Daylight Time

ENGLEWOOD, Colo.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Sling TV announced today that DishWorld, the live streaming multi-language television service, is now “Sling International.” The move officially marries the largest provider of streamed international channels in the U.S. with Sling TV, the recently-launched provider of live, over-the-top (OTT) domestic TV service. Sling International provides global programming from nearly 200 channels in 18 languages to U.S. households, starting at $15 per month.

“Sling TV grew from the foundation established by DishWorld, enabling us to test, grow and improve our OTT capabilities through a service that streams tens of millions of hours of content every month,” said Roger Lynch, CEO of Sling TV. “Incorporating DishWorld into the Sling TV portfolio makes it even easier for viewers to get the best of both domestic programming and the shows and sports they love from overseas.”

Current DishWorld customers will be prompted at log in to upgrade to the new Sling International app. Once complete, customers will experience the Sling TV user interface, which is intuitive, easy to use and controlled by swipe and scroll functionality on devices with touchscreen capability. Sling TV customers will also have the ability to watch Sling International and domestic Sling TV content within the same app.

Starting today, new customers who sign up for Sling International can take advantage of a free one month trial. New customers can sign up for a Sling International account at http://www.sling.com/international. Existing customers of Sling TV or Sling International who wish to add domestic content or additional language groups can sign in to their account onwww.sling.com/account and make their selections under “change subscription.”

Customers can now sign in to their Sling International accounts using all devices that support Sling TV, including Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, current-generation Roku players and Roku TV models, Android and iOS devices, Xbox One, and Mac and PC. DishWorld customers who use Samsung Smart TVs will continue using the DishWorld app; support of Sling International will become available on select Samsung Smart TVs in the coming weeks.

As the largest multicultural OTT service in the U.S., Sling International delivers close to 200 channels from language groups including Arabic, Bangla, Brazilian, Cantonese, Filipino, Gujarati, Hindi, Malayalam, Mandarin, Punjabi, Taiwanese, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu and Vietnamese. New language groups launching today include Bengali, Kannada and Marathi. Sling International customers who subscribe to “Family View” will continue to enjoy viewing their international content on up to three devices simultaneously.

About Sling TV

Sling TV L.L.C., a subsidiary of DISH Network Corporation (NASDAQ: DISH), provides over-the-top television services including domestic and international live and Video-On-Demand programming. It is available on televisions, tablets, computers and smartphones. The Sling TV programming portfolio includes content from Disney/ESPN, HBO, AMC, Turner, Scripps, EPIX, Univision and Maker Studios. Sling International (formerly DishWorld) currently provides close to 200 channels in 18 languages across multiple devices to U.S. households. Sling TV is a next-generation service that meets the entertainment needs of today’s contemporary viewers. Visit www.sling.com.

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Graphene is a sheet of carbon atoms bound together in a honeycomb lattice pattern. It is a 2D material, but at only one atom thick, graphene manages to be 200 times stronger than steel and is able to move electrons across its surface up to three orders of magnitude better than silicon. It is also the best conductor of electricity and heat known to man, with intriguing optical properties. It is very lightweight, flexible, and has a large surface area. Graphene comes at a relatively high price at the moment, but depending on improvements to current production methods, it could eventually be much cheaper, as it is only made of naturally abundant carbon atoms.

Thanks to graphene’s myriad of remarkable attributes, scientists and industry experts have dubbed it ‘miracle material’ and are excited about its potential to revolutionize entire markets. Graphene is intensively researched and may enable advances like bendable and transparent computer screens, cheaply desalinated water using graphene membranes, low-cost and efficient solar panels, lightning fast microcomputers, light and powerful batteries that charge within minutes, unique sensors, and much more. It is safe to say that the graphene’s full scope of possibilities is a long way from being discovered.

Graphene and the mobile device market seem to be a match made in heaven.

Graphene and the mobile device market seem to be a match made in heaven, as graphene’s unique attributes can be greatly beneficial for various aspects of mobile devices. Graphene can allow for super-efficient batteries that charge within minutes and last much longer than conventional Li-ion batteries, composite materials that make devices lightweight and extremely durable, touch screens that are flexible and transparent, and even chips that are extremely small but much faster than silicon chips.

Let’s take a closer look at just some of the ways graphene could change the mobile world, for the better.

Graphene, meet battery

Graphene could eventually revolutionize battery tech, achieving better longevity and rapid charge times that would put current tech to shame.

Graphene-enhanced batteries hold tremendous potential and are the subject of vigorous research. These batteries sport traits like longer cycle-life, high energy density and charge storage capacity, flexibility and rapid charge times. Earlier this year, an American company called XG Sciences demonstrated its next generation silicon graphene anode materials for lithium-ion batteries. The company states that it has a charge storage capacity of up to 4 times today’s typical anodes, first cycle efficiency of 85-90%, low swelling, and longer lifetime that is more than double the company’s previous generation.

Nokia has also been researching graphene batteries and even issued a patent for what sounds like a sci-fi battery: a self-charging graphene-based photon battery, capable of being printed on flexible substrates. Nokia’s battery can regenerate itself immediately after discharge through continuous chemical reactions, without an external energy input, resulting in an energy autonomous device that uses humid air for the purpose of recharging and can be made highly transparent. The US-based Graphene 3D Lab even intends to 3D print graphene batteries. This way, it is possible to tailor the shape and size of a battery to better fit in small mobile devices.

Graphene-based batteries, however promising, are still at the research phase and our careful estimate is that they will not be reaching the market for at least two years. They should definitely be worth the wait, though.

Graphene opens the door to improved phone durability

Graphene has the potential to be added to metal or plastic, improving build quality significantly, while keeping things light.

Adding graphene to materials like plastic and metal creates a new and improved composite that is conductive, mechanically stronger, more lightweight, and highly durable. Using these graphene composites for the body of various mobile devices is an exciting prospect that can grant such a device several desired characteristics.

Adding graphene to materials like plastic and metal creates a new and improved composite that is conductive, mechanically stronger, more lightweight, and highly durable.

The Spanish Graphenea discovered that adding graphene to ceramic alumina can make it stronger – it is up to 50% less likely to break under strain. Graphenea’s method is simple, fast and scalable, and it makes the alumina a hundred million times more conductive to electricity. Graphenea believes the same process will work for other materials such as silicon carbide, silicon nitride, titania, zirconia, and more.

Researchers at the University of Minnesota, in collaboration with Adama Materials, managed to create a highly durable graphene-plastic compound. They say that by adding a tiny amount of graphene, the plastic toughness was increased by about 2.5 times. The researchers are now seeking to refine to process so it can be commercialized.

Graphene composites have already started to enter the market and can currently be found mostly in sports gear like extra light and strong ski equipment, bicycle wheels, helmets and more. Now it’s only a matter of time before this bleeds over to the mobile world as well.

Graphene in mobile displays

Most touch screens on the market today use ITO for their transparent electrodes. ITO, however, is quite problematic as its rare, expensive, brittle and unsuitable for flexible displays so replacements are constantly being searched for. Graphene is one of the most promising materials in the run for ITO replacements, and China even has touchscreens on the market that contain graphene electrodes.

Compared to silver-based solutions, graphene holds optical properties that make it especially desirable for such applications. Chinese company Powerbooster developed graphene-based flexible touch panels for mobile devices. The company says that graphene is cheaper and stronger than ITO and it plans to invest $150 million in the next three years in order to bring their solutions to the market.

China’s Chongqing Morsh Technology is building a production line in Chongqing that will be used to produce 15″ single-layer graphene films. They hope to start production soon and they’ve already signed an agreement with Guangdong Zhengyang, an OGS maker to produce 10 million graphene based transparent conducting films (TCFs) in a year for the next five years. These films will be used to produce touch panels for mobile devices.

Graphene-based chips

Graphene has the potential to replace silicon as the basic material for next-gen chips and electronics as well. Graphene’s amazing conduction abilities and miniscule dimensions make it a desirable material with great potential in the electronics world. Graphene chips can be a great deal faster than silicon ones and much more energetically efficient.

In order to help push things to the next level, various institutes and companies are investing R&D dollars into graphene, including Intel, IBM, and Samsung.

Of course, graphene electronics is not without its challenges. In order to help push things to the next level, various institutes and companies are investing R&D dollars into graphene, including Intel, IBM, and Samsung. Intel is working on graphene transistors and has reported progress in the past, but warns that graphene-based chips are still a few generations away. IBM has embarked upon an ambitious project to find the next-generation chip technology to replace silicon, and will invest $3 billion over the next five years into this project. IBM will look into graphene, carbon nanotubes, quantum computing, silicon photonics and more technologies.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR – Roni Peleg, the editor of Graphene-Info, a comprehensive portal for all things graphene. Graphene-Info was launched in 2009 as a graphene news aggregator and quickly grew to become a hub for graphene professionals and enthusiasts. Graphene-info is a cyber meeting spot for all kinds of graphene buffs, providing services, resources and news for professionals, as well as people who want to learn more about this exciting new material and its applications.

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If you’re a fan of the “inbox zero” mentality when it comes to managing email, odds are you’ve tried Mailbox for Android. The app, which was an iOS exclusive for some time, makes it easier than ever to delete, snooze and archive emails with just a few swipes. When the application launched on Android, there were few differences between the iOS and Android versions, at least aesthetically speaking. But today that changes, as Mailbox is receiving quite the update to version 2.0.1 which brings a Material Design refresh to the app.

Once you update to the newest version, you’ll notice a few key additions in the user interface. Most notably, the Mailbox team has added in a floating compose button which makes it easier to create an email when you’re in your inbox. The slide-out navigation drawer now reaches to the top of the screen, though it’s still not a full-height drawer like we see in many other Google apps. The new update polishes up the entire app, making it look like a true Android application.

The update is rolling out as we speak, so be sure to head to the Play Store link below to grab the newest version. Mailbox users – how are you liking the new update?

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Last year, Google rolled out a feature to Google+ that would create a travelogue of your uploaded photos and videos based on your location. That tool is called Google+ Stories, and it generally does a great job at compiling your pictures into a nice slideshow. And according to a few Google+ users, Stories are beginning to make their way to Google Now. Once you have the proper settings enabled, you’ll start seeing a Google Now card appear when you have a new Story ready. When you see the card, tapping on it will launch you into Google+ where you can share it with your friends.

If you have yet to see this card, you may need to enable a few settings before it will start showing up. According to Google’s support page, you’ll need to:

For this week’s Friday Debate, we discuss Chromebook’s potential for mainstream success, and what Google needs to do to make it appeal to even more users. Could Chrome OS every become a dominant force in the PC industry? Should Google merge its Chrome OS and Android efforts under one roof?

We’ll first start by hearing from a few AA team members, and then we invite you to participate in the poll below, and sound off in the comments. Also remember that the Friday Debate Podcast should be coming later this evening, or sometime over the weekend.

I must admit that when I first heard about Chrome OS, back in 2009, I really didn’t think it was a good idea. However, that all changed when I got my first Chromebook a couple of years ago. Although I was skeptical at first, my Chromebook has become my main productivity device when I am away from home, especially when I am travelling and covering events for Android Authority. At home I still use my PC, but the point is that for everything except editing video or images, I basically use Chrome.

But Chrome OS isn’t yet perfect. Google is obviously experimenting with different aspects of the Chrome OS architecture. There is already some basic support for running Android apps on Chrome OS, and now Google has announced Chromebit. What does this all mean?

The biggest problem with Chrome OS is that all the apps need to be written in HTML5. Without getting into too much detail here, HTML5 has its drawbacks. In 2012, Facebook abandoned the HTML5 version of its mobile app and rebuilt it as a native app. The reason? Speed.

Organisationally Android and Chrome OS are part of the same group within Google. What Google needs to do is add full Android support to Chrome OS, while retaining the Chrome OS UI and approach.

The result will be a true alternative to Windows and OS X. In one sense it will be the vindication of Linux on the desktop. At the core of both Chrome OS and Android is Linux, but the problem with Linux is its diversity. There are too many desktop options, too many SDKs, too many UI libraries. Diversity is good, diversity allows dreamers to dreams and hackers to hack. But in the real world diversity isn’t called diversity, it is called fragmentation. And fragmentation is the death of any ecosystem.

If Google can produce a version of Chrome OS which allows traditional apps to be written via the Android SDK, while maintaining its core principles then Linux could become the dominant laptop OS over Windows and OS X. Why? Because it will be free. It will use a different business model, which doesn’t rely on licenses for revenue and it will be build around the way we work today, not the way we worked back in the 1990s.

So where does Chromebit come into all this. Simple, the more accessible Google can make Chrome OS, the more people will use it. The more people use it, the more the ecosystem will thrive. The more the ecosystem thrives, the more accessible it becomes. And so on.

However, for businesses the problem with a cloud-centric OS is really the word “cloud” means “someone else’s servers.” No organization should store its intellectual property on “someone else’s servers.” And that is where Google will need to work, to strike the balance between its vision to be the world’s largest provider of cloud services and the need of corporates to keep their data on their own servers.

Jimmy Westenberg

When Google announced the first Chromebook, I was instantly hooked. The opportunity to purchase a well-performing computer for around $250 was an idea I could get behind, so being a broke college student, I jumped onboard. I began using the first Samsung Chromebook as my daily computer. I used it for essays, web browsing and for writing tech news. I’ve lived in the Chrome OS world for a few years, and let me tell you, it’s easy. Sure there are a few sacrifices you might have to make, but it’s very possible.

Chrome OS still has a lot of progress to make and we’re just now seeing a turning point for the operating system. Oddly enough, Chrome OS and Android used to be entirely separate entities, and we’re finally seeing them come together. But Android apps running on Chromebooks is just the start of it all. There are people out there who just can’t sacrifice Microsoft Word, PowerPoint or Adobe Photoshop, and that will always be a problem with the platform. If Google could somehow figure out a way to run the essential Windows and Mac applications in Chrome, we’d start seeing the Chrome OS adoption rate skyrocket.

The Chromebit is an interesting piece of tech, as well. For less than $100, people can run the OS on a television or an external computer monitor. That’s huge. If the success of the Chromecast is any indication as to how well the Chromebit will perform, college students who don’t have enough money to afford another computer will likely begin to adopt it in great numbers.

With all of that said, the problem with storing everything in the cloud is still a daunting idea for many consumers. Google is making big progress in the field, but like I said before, we’re still in the early stages of the platform.
So to answer the question, I don’t think Chrome OS will ever directly compete with Windows or Mac. But I do think there’s room for another OS that can fit into a niche market, whether that means strictly for education or just a budget-friendly alternative. I’m excited to see where Chrome OS is headed, and I have faith in Google that they can pull it off.

Bogdan Petrovan

I think Google is playing a very long game with Chrome OS, which seems to be moving at a snail’s pace and even stalling at times. But I think this deceptively slow pace hides Google’s ambition to make Chrome OS the operating system of tomorrow. And tomorrow will be all about the cloud, no matter how firmly we hold on to our microSD cards and local storage today.

I think Google is aiming to create a truly universal operating system. By turning the Chrome browser into a platform capable of running web apps that are very similar to native apps, Google is subverting conventional operating systems like Windows and OS X. Already, I can sign into Chrome with my Google account, and all my extensions, web apps, history, passwords, settings carry over. I can take my wife’s laptop and get my familiar setup from my own laptop in a matter of minutes. As someone who spends 75 percent of their workday in Chrome (and I could easily go up to 100 percent if I needed) this is a hugely valuable feature.

The convergence between the Chrome browser and Chrome OS is happening steadily; I can already switch from browser mode into Chrome OS mode with one click. And it’s only going to get easier and faster to do everything in Chrome, to the point that people will effectively forget what they need Windows for. When that happens, Chrome OS devices will be a tempting choice. Just today one top Microsoft engineer said that Windows could one day become open source. If this ever happens, I am pretty sure Google’s Chrome (and Android) will be a big part of the reason. While Google is working very slowly, the fact that it’s extending Chrome OS to all-in-one PCs and TVs (Chromebit) tells me that my hunch is correct.

And there’s the support for Android apps. Soon Google will be able to make a killer proposition to developers: apps that work on Android, Windows, OS X, or Linux, via Chrome, like magic. That should make the platform even more attractive.

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Back in September Amazon finally gave Android users a way to access Amazon Prime Video content, after long holding out and keeping the functionality exclusive to Kindle Fire tablets, the Fire Phone, and various media streamers and smart TVs. Of course, they sure didn’t make things easy.

To play content, you needed to have the Amazon app, which would let you select video content. However, you also needed the Prime Instant Video app to actually play it back, which was available only through the Amazon AppStore. What’s worse than requiring you to install three different Amazon apps in order to simply watch your Prime Instant Video content? Amazon left tablets out of the fun.

Thankfully, Amazon has now released an update to the Prime Instant Video app that adds Android tablet support. With the update, you’ll be able to browse videos on Amazon.com through your favorite mobile web browser. Once you tap “Watch Now”, the Prime Instant Video app will then load up the movie or show of your choice. Still not exactly the most straightforward process, but better than nothing.

To grab the Prime Instant Video app, you’ll need to head on over to the Amazon AppStore.

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One day, TV will be all nerdy, all the time. Until then, Nerdist News is putting together a 30-minute pilot for SyFy, featuring its own brand of off-beat current events and silly gags. The Nerdist News TV show will air once a week, executive produced by Nerdist Industries CEO and @midnight host Chris Hardwick, alongside Talking Dead executive producer Brandon Monk. Nerdist News host Jessica Chobot announced the new initiative in a video, noting that the online version of the show isn’t going anywhere. “We can’t tell you too much more right now because there’s a lot of dark magic that needs to happen before it can get to your TVs and we have no idea of when it even would,” she says. Eagle-eyed observers will spot a familiar face covered by a Project Morpheus headset around 0:47 into the announcement video. (Hi, Joseph!)

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Google Now continues to add more features to its cards, the latest being Stories from your Google Photos. The stories are auto-generated by having the Auto Awesome feature turned on in photos with your location history as well. If you go on a trip, vacation, hike, etc. where you take lots of photos, Google photos will automatically put them into a “story” where you can see a slideshow of your photos from your recent adventure.

So now rather than having to go to your photo album to see your stories, the most recent one will show up in your Google Now cards.

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Looks like all that waiting you did with your LG G3 to get Android 5.0 Lollipop is about to pay off. A Tweet from Des has announced that the LG G3 on Magenta will be getting its taste of Lollipop beginning April 7th. OF course, if you have a PC and like to play the […]